Hiring That Crosses Disciplines Can Create New Tensions

North Carolina State U. has hired 28 new professors for its 12 interdisciplinary "clusters," and plans to hire a total of 43.

By Benjamin Mueller

Driven by shrinking budgets and increasingly complex research
questions, interdisciplinary faculty hiring has swept into
universities across the nation in recent years. It has attracted
money and buzz, but it has also created tensions and practical
challenges on campuses.

The promise of interdisciplinary work being touted in
announcement after announcement of new university efforts is
bumping up against time-honored university practices. Such hires
test departmental primacy in